Heat dissipation device

ABSTRACT

A heat dissipation device includes a housing, a fan mounted within the housing, a fin assembly fixed to the housing and heat pipes attached on the fin assembly. The housing includes a panel and a sidewall extending upwardly from a periphery of the panel. The fin assembly includes first fins and second fins alternately arranged on the panel. The first fins and the second fins each include a plate, an upper flange and a lower flange extending from a top side and a bottom side of the plate, respectively. Each second fin defines a slot in a lateral side of the plate thereof adjacent to the fan. Every two adjacent first fin and second fin define a channel therebetween. Two adjacent channels communicate with each other at inlets thereof via the slot, and separated from each other at outlets thereof via a second fin.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to heat dissipation devices, and moreparticularly, to a heat dissipation device having a fan.

2. Description of Related Art

Electronic components generate a large amount of heat in operationthereof. Therefore, heat dissipation, often in the form of device, isrequired for the electronic components. A typical heat dissipation deiceincludes a plurality of fins connected to each other. In order tofacilitate heat dissipation of the fins, a fan is generally mountedaside the fins. The fan forces airflow to flow through air passagesbetween the fins to accelerate heat exchange between the fins and thesurrounding air.

However, since the air passages between the fins are narrow, a largeamount of dusts may be accumulated on the inlets of the air passagesafter the fan works for a long period. Such accumulated dusts wouldblock the airflow to flow into the air passages, thereby affecting theheat dissipation of the fins.

What is needed, therefore, is a heat dissipation device which canovercome the limitations described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed uponclearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover,in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the views.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a heat dissipation device in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a fin assembly of the heat dissipationdevice of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the fin assembly of FIG. 2, wherein afirst fin and a second fin are separated from the fin assembly.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the first fin of FIG. 3

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the second fin of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a heat dissipation device 10 in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The heat dissipationdevice 10 includes a housing 50, a fan 40 mounted within the housing 50,a fin assembly 20 fixed to the housing 50 and a plurality of heat pipes30 attached to the fin assembly 20.

The housing 50 is integrally made of a single piece of metal such asaluminum or copper. The housing 50 includes a panel 501 and a sidewall502 extending upwardly and perpendicularly from a periphery of the panel501. The sidewall 502 partially surrounds the panel 501. The sidewall502 has a curved section and two ends extending from the curved sectiontowards a rear side of the panel 501. The fan 40 is fixed on the panel501 and surrounded by the curved section of the sidewall 502. The twoends of the sidewall 502 are spaced from each other to receive the finassembly 20. The sidewall 502 can guide an airflow generated by the fan40 towards the rear side of the panel 501. A plurality of posts 51, tabs52, and brackets 53, 54 are formed on an outer circumferential face ofthe sidewall 502 for connection with the other structures such as aprinted circuit board, a clip or a fastener.

Also referring to FIGS. 2-4, the fin assembly 20 is fixed on the rearside of the panel 501 and sandwiched between the two ends of thesidewall 502. The fin assembly 20 includes a plurality of first fins 21and a plurality of second fins 22 alternately connected to each other.Each first fin 21 includes a plate 210, an upper flange 212 extendingfrom a top side of the plate 210 and a lower flange 211 extending from abottom side of the plate 210. The plate 210 is arranged perpendicularlyto the panel 501 of the housing 50. The plate 210 has a vertical frontside and an inclined rear side opposite to the front side. The top sideof the plate 210 has a portion depressed downwardly towards the bottomside of the plate 210. The upper flange 212 includes a first section2121 located adjacent to the rear side of the plate 210, a third section2123 located adjacent to the front side of the plate 210, i.e., adjacentto the fan 40, and a second section 2122 located between the firstsection 2121 and the third section 2123. The first section 2121 isparallel to the lower flange 211 and spaced from the second section 2122via a gap. The second section 2122 is located on the depressed portionof the top side of the plate 210. The second section 2122 is mainlyparallel to the lower flange 211 with an end thereof bended upwardlytowards the first section 2121. The third section 2123 is extended fromanother end of the second section 2122 firstly horizontally and theninclinedly. The third section 2123 joints the another end of the secondsection 2122. The first section 2121 and the second section 2122 havethe same width which is smaller than that of the third section 2123.Preferably, the width of the first section 2121 and the second section2122 is a half of that of the third section 2123.

Also referring to FIG. 5, each second fin 22 has a lower flange 221 andan upper flange 222 extending from a plate 220. The lower flange 221 andthe second flange 222 with a first section 2221 and a second section2222 have the same configuration as that of the lower flange 211 and theupper flange 212 of the first fin 21. The plate 220 has the sameconfiguration as that of the plate 210 of the first fin 21 except a slot2200 defined in the plate 220. The slot 2200 includes a first part 2201adjacent to the fan 40, a third part 2203 remote from the fan 40 and asecond part 2202 communicating the first part 2201 with the third part2203. The first part 2201 is gradually expanded from the second part2202 towards the fan 40 such that the upper flange 222 does not have athird section. An upper edge of the first part 2201 is terminated at thesecond section 2222 of the upper flange 222, and a lower edge of thefirst part 2201 is terminated at the lower flange 221. The second part2202 is straight and parallel to the lower flange 221. The third part2203 is extended downwardly from the second part 2202 towards the lowerflange 221. The lower flange 221 of the second fin 22 has the samelength as that of the first fin 21, and the first section 2221 and thesecond section 2222 of the upper flange 222 of the second fin 22 havethe lengths same as that of the first fin 21. The second fins 22 areassembled to the first fins 21 in a manner that the first section 2121and the second section 2122 of the upper flange 212 and the lower flange211 of each first fin 21 abut against that of an adjacent second fin 22,and the third section 2123 of the upper flange 212 of each first fin 21abuts against the second section 2222 of the upper flange 222 of theadjacent second fin 22 and the third section 2123 of the upper flange212 of a next first fin 21. The second sections 2122, 2222 of the upperflanges 212, 222 of the first fins 21 and the second fins 22cooperatively form a groove 202 in a top of the fin assembly 20 toreceive the heat pipes 30 (shown in FIG. 2).

After the first fins 21 and the second fins 22 are alternately assembledbetween the two ends of the sidewall 502, a plurality of air channels201 are defined between neighboring first and second fins 21, 22. Eachchannel 201 has an air inlet 2011 adjacent to the fan 40 and an airoutlet 2012 away from the fan 40. Two adjacent channels 201 between twoadjacent first fins 21 and a second fin 22 sandwiched between the twoadjacent first fins 21 communicates with each other at the inlets 2011thereof via the slot 2200 exposed to the fan 40, and spaced from eachother at the outlets 2012 thereof via the second fin 22. Therefore, thedusts brought by the airflow would not be blocked at the inlets 2011 ofthe channels 201 and can easily enter the channels 201. Once the dustsenter the channels 201, they would be readily blown by the airflowrapidly flowing through the channels 201 to an outside environment viathe outlets 2012. Thus, the dusts are not accumulated at the inlets 2011of the channels 201. Furthermore, the gradually expanded first part 2201of the slot 2200 can facilitate entrance of the dusts into the channels201.

It is believed that the present embodiments will be understood from theforegoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes maybe made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure or sacrificing all of its material advantages, theexamples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplaryembodiments.

1. A heat dissipation device comprising: a fan for generating anairflow, the fan defining an air outtake for exhausting the airflow; anda fin assembly coupled to the air outtake of the fan, the fin assemblycomprising a plurality of first fins and second fins each alternatingwith the first fins, each second fin defining a slot in a lateral sidethereof adjacent to the fan; wherein two adjacent first fin and secondfin define an airflow channel therebetween, each channel has an inletadjacent to the fan and an outlet away from the fan, and two adjacentchannels are communicated with each other at the inlets thereof througha corresponding slot.
 2. The heat dissipation device of claim 1, whereinthe two adjacent channels are separated at the outlets thereof by thecorresponding second fin defining the slot.
 3. The heat dissipationdevice of claim 2, wherein each of the first fin and the second fincomprises a plate, and the plates of the first fins and the second finsare parallel to each other.
 4. The heat dissipation device of claim 3,wherein the slot is defined in the plate of each second fin.
 5. The heatdissipation device of claim 4, wherein the slot has a first sectiongradually expanding towards the fan.
 6. The heat dissipation device ofclaim 5, wherein the slot has a second section extending in a directionaway from the first section and a third section extending downwardlytowards a bottom side of the plate.
 7. The heat dissipation device ofclaim 6, wherein the second section communicates the first section withthe third section.
 8. The heat dissipation device of claim 5, whereineach of the first fin and the second comprises an upper flange and alower flange extending from a top side and a bottom side of the platethereof, respectively.
 9. The heat dissipation device of claim 8,wherein the upper flange of each of the first fin and the second fincomprises a first section and a second section spaced from the firstsection.
 10. The heat dissipation device of claim 9, wherein the firstsection of the upper flange is parallel to the lower flange.
 11. Theheat dissipation device of claim 9, wherein the second section islocated lower than the first section and has an end bended upwardlytowards the first section.
 12. The heat dissipation device of claim 9,wherein the slot of each second fin has a top edge terminated at thesecond section of the upper flange of the second fin, and a bottom edgeterminated at the lower flange of the second fin.
 13. The heatdissipation device of claim 9, wherein the upper flange of each firstfin further comprises a third section extending inclinedly from thesecond section thereof.
 14. The heat dissipation device of claim 13,wherein the third section has a width twice than that of the secondsection and the first section.
 15. The heat dissipation device of claim1 further comprising a housing, wherein the housing comprises a panelsupporting the fan and a sidewall extending upwardly from a periphery ofthe panel.
 16. The heat dissipation device of claim 15, wherein the fanis surrounded by the sidewall.
 17. The heat dissipation device of claim16, wherein the sidewall has two ends spaced from each other, the finassembly being sandwiched between the two ends of the sidewall.
 18. Theheat dissipation device of claim 9 further comprising a heat pipe,wherein the second sections of the upper flanges of the first fins andthe second fins cooperatively form a groove to receive the heat pipe.19. The heat dissipation device of claim 1, wherein the slot defined ineach of the second fins is exposed to the fan.